Summer Season Base Rates Push Local Power Rates Up In June

Media Contact:

Wayne Scarbrough

(423) 745-4501 ext. 6002

wscarbrough@aub.org

May 17, 2018

ATHENS, Tenn. – Local electric power rates for June will rise by about 5.5 percent compared to May as Athens Utilities Board (AUB) moves from springtime base rates to summer base rates, which run June through September.

Summer base power rates, which run June through September, are higher than those in the spring and account for the increase.

The AUB residential power rate for June will be $0.09144 per kilowatt hour compared to April’s rate of $0.08663.

 “Your rate has two components that compose the all-up rate you pay for a kilowatt hour of energy, the base rate and the fuel charge.  The sum of those is your all-up rate,” he said.

For June, the fuel charge of $0.0198 cents per kilowatt hour is actually lower than in May fuel charge was at $0.02022 cents.

However, the summer base rate is $0.07164 versus the springtime base rate of $0.06641.

The month-over-month change in rate will increase the average residential user of 1200 kilowatt hours by $5.77, said AUB’s Wayne Scarbrough.

Scarbrough said that the recent summer-like temperatures offer a reminder that there are simple steps to lower your summer utilities bills.

“Most everyone’s bill goes up considerably in the heat of summer and in the dead of winter.   It’s only May, but we’ve been in the high 90s already.   Now’s the time to plan for the weeks ahead when 90s become the norm in the sunny south,” he said.

To ease the sticker shock of summertime cooling bills:

• Bump your thermostat to 75 degrees.  Sixty-nine degrees feels great, but it will result in considerably more energy use and a notably higher cooling bill.
• Check all doors and windows to ensure they are completely closed at all times.
• Use weather stripping on doors and windows to preserve cooled air.
• Use curtains, awnings, or other coverings for windows to reduce solar heat gain from the sun.
• Ceiling fans can help circulated cooled air throughout the house.

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